Tuesday, November 1, 2011

When the Charlotte 49ers play their first football game in their on-campus stadium in 2013, they'll do so on McColl-Richardson Field.

The school announced Tuesday the football field will be named for two Charlotte business and sports icons -- Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson and former Bank of America CEO Hugh McColl.

"Can you think of two people more associated with the development of Charlotte over the last 30 years?" said UNC Charlotte chancellor Phil Dubois. "I can't imagine finding two better."

49ers athletics director Judy Rose wouldn't reveal how much money Richardson and McColl have contributed to the program. The school is valuing the naming rights on the field at $2.5 million, and Rose said Richardson and McColl's donations put the program "well on our way toward that."

The school also is selling naming rights to the 15,000-seat stadium (which began construction in April) for $5 million.

"With their names going on the field, other (potential sponsors) will say, 'Gosh, look at the names they have associated with this school," said Rose. "They add tremendous value and credibility to our program."

When Richardson first considered bringing NFL football to the Carolinas in 1987, McColl was the first person whose advice he sought.

"We haven't failed on a lot of things we've tried to do together," said McColl. "So I doubt we will on this, either."

Someone please update me....Exactly how much dough did the Good Ol' Boys fork out?

See, Judy Rose said there was no way a Football team would make it here at UNC Charlotte. Niner Nation needs to get rid of this Title IX pusher; she's only holding back the REAL money-making athletic programs with her gender agenda!

Get a real AD who knows a thing or two about building Football and Men's Basketball Programs. It's all about the Benjamins!

I'm scratching my head. I thought Mrs Rose said large donations for football were "fantasy dollars." So is this real money? Say it aint so! Strange things happen outside your comfort zone when you knock on NEW doors with something they want to happen.

Luckily for Charlotte, we are seeing another year of major conference shake-ups. I keep hoping to hear about Charlotte becoming the newest member of a major conference and dusting the A-10. Times running out to get this done. The fact that Charlotte remains in the A-10 and is being courted by the Colonial leads me to believe Rose is bigger on talk than results.

I can promise you that somebody is giving you bad info, unless the major conference is the currently crumbling Conference USA, who are in the midst of losing all of their good teams. Other than that, UNCC is not going to the ACC, SEC, Big 10, Big 12, PAC 12 or the Big East. I know UNCC fans like to think the Big East is pining for them, but the three things the conference wants, UNCC doesn't provide-- good basketball, tv market, football team with the pedigree to warrant BCS AQ status. That leaves Conference USA, and the only school remotely close is ECU, and that's if they don't get a better offer.

anon 2:36. You are completely off base about the TV market. Charlotte is Top 25 media market in nation, in the 10th most populous state. Our basketball was good up until the last couple of years but hopefully on the upswing again so really the only valid point you have is the fact that we have no football tradition yet. Of course, you conveniently forget that not all members of the big east are football. Charlotte could easily start as a member in all sports and then move up in football class after 2 years.

I believe Charlotte is the 19th largest TV market and if good basketball is a must to get into the Big East, why would they ever take ECU? At least we use to beat Big East members (Cincy, Louisville, Marquette) on a regular basis. 5 years down the road the land scape will change and Charlotte will be in a much better position.

Funny how the inferiority complex will go even further against North Carolina, since one of our grads has a field named after him at Charlotte. Funny, are there no successful Charlotte Grads that could step up to the plate? Again, second rate.

I have no issues with him donating money to Charlotte and having his name on our field. That would seem like quite a nice gesture for him to attach his name to our playing surface when it's not attached to the playing field of his own alma-mater. Im sure he will always hold UNC Chapel Hill in high regards. However, it is nice to see a man of his success also regard our program highly enough to make such a financial contribution.

Perhaps you should be asking yourself “If he offers such a high level of support, then why am I so unsupportive?”

"Funny how the inferiority complex will go even further against North Carolina, since one of our grads has a field named after him at Charlotte. Funny, are there no successful Charlotte Grads that could step up to the plate? Again, second rate."

You know Charlotte has only existed since 1946 right? And has only been a 4 year university for even less time? We were a fairly small university until the last 20 years.

We do have very successful alums, but not nearly in the quantity that older schools that have been granting masters and doctoral degrees have.

Fantasy Football Fairy--pretty sure she wasn't talking about big cat and McColl with the fantasy comment. Think it was directed at those who talk a big game about donating and supporting then disappear into thin air in Fantasy Land when they are actually called to open the checkbook. Pledging and paying are different words that differentiate talkers and doers. Good thing Judy knows people in this town who are doers. These guys know how to run a business and not run one into the ground.

Yes, Charlotte is a big tv market. Charlotte is not a big UNCC TV market. Charlotte is a great TV market for UNC, NCSU, and Duke. If competing against UNCC, more RB's will be tuned into Clemson, USC, Wake, UVa, or whatever the ACCESS or national game of the week is. How many times is UNCC in Charlotte each year? If they were a draw they'd have every game televised, not just when they play an ACCESS or SEC team.

And no, not all members have football teams, which is why they are trying to get Boise St, Air Force, etc...to join. I can assure your UNCC's team will not be up that good in 2 years. It is mind boggling how easy some of you think it is to be good in football. If it is so easy, and going to be such a gimme for UNCC, then how has NC State not figured it out. Or UCLA. Or any number of other teams who UNCC will apparently be better than in short order.

I don't understand why people always feel the need to hate on Charlotte.

When Carolina loses, I don't cheer and revel in their misfortune. Nor do I for Duke, ECU, or any other school (unless we happen to be playing them).

A successful college football program would be a great thing for the city. McColl and Richardson see that. So do other city leaders like Mac Everette, Johnny Harris, and the Belk family. None of them are Charlotte graduates, but all have made significant contributions to Charlotte athletics.

anon 4:59, and don't forget the agony and misery to go along with the piles of money McColl took. Much of today's financial mess is based on McColl's "vision" to grow the biggest Ponzi scheme seen by mnakind.

We are a college basketball state and UNCC has a hard time with attendance. This will be another less that stellar sport at UNCC, after the shine wears off and the reality of losing sets in. Not to mention, the bad deals that will continue under the current administration.

I'll explain why people should look at the rogue's gallery you named - Belk, McColl, Johnnie Harris, Mac Everette, et al - with a jaundiced eye. These are the people who've accumulated their wealth and power by raping the people of Charlotte and the nation. Case in point: Johnnie Harris led the charge for the coliseum on Tyvola Drive, despite a lot of us who argued that if it were to be built at public expense (it was, and it shouldn't have been) it should have been downtown. A few years later - bingo! - Harris is leading the charge for it to be demolished and a new one built downtown. These are the people who overrode the citizens of Charlotte, who voted resoundingly against the downtown arena. Their attitude: Shut up and pay the bills, we run this city. Another case in point, McColl, who is nothing short of a gangster in pinstripes, long bragged about finding a way to circumvent the law banning interstate banking, the first step to the banking empires we see today. You've seen since 2008 where that's gotten us. Nothing more than a landfill or dog pound should should ever be named after these white-collar thieves.

One of these characters you seem to idolize also has the distinction of using his wealth and power to push his way to the front of the heart-transplant line. Oh well, so somebody else had to die. Maybe we should name the football field after that person.

Let's see, they gave about 2.5 million or at least they pledged that much. So name the field after them. Ain't such a great name especially since Richardson is a butthead - arrogant and egotistical. But, it's money to the program...and GO NINERS!!

Using this as a template, maybe someone UNCC can round up enough lawyers to buy Charlotte a proper law school and a medical school with a research arm. I think we have the leisure thing pretty much covered so now maybe we can move on to the stuff that produces real jobs. Someone mentioned we're a top 25 TV market. True. Also true: we're the only city in that top 25 (or pretty far beneath it) without a university law school or medical school. It’s a job-killing embarrassment. More football. Good, hooray, and hope we have the football thing covered enough to move on to other things.

I love that new NFL Play 60 commercial with the Panthers and at the end it shows Jerry Richardson driving the bus. That alone tells you what kind of person Mr. Richardson is. He has done so much to the city, why not name it after him.

To have these two men involved is very positive (thank you, thank you, thank you)). Now if Humpy would take some of that NASCAR money and double the sitting to 30,000 ( we could name the stadium after him)and if MJ would add the lights, larger score board, and nicer field house (we could name the field house after him).

Can't wait for win #1 on 8/31/13 over Campbell on McColl/Richardson Field. Let's see if Bruton Smith will come up off some of his money and we can have some games at McColl/Richardson Field at Sonic Automotive Stadium. Or maybe we can get Lance to buy stadium naming rights so there will be Lance vending machines around every bend at the stadium. Would beat the heck out of the $4 hot dogs! :-)

I have no idea why some of you hate the Niners like you do, but it will not hurt if some of you Charlotte haters at least learn how to express yourself without making 3 grammatical mistakes per sentence. Better yet, perhaps you should return to high school and get your diploma.